On East Cesar Chavez, across from the Las Trancas taco stand, an unsuspecting navy blue building houses an alternative memory of Austin, one that is not easily found in official archives or city history books. Inside, the walls are covered with vintage vinyl records, matchbooks, hand-painted restaurant signs and fragile flyers from decades past.<\/p>\n
Much of the ephemera is curated by Alan Garcia, a self-described community archivist who has been collecting artifacts that trace the overlooked cultural and musical legacies of Austin\u2019s working-class neighborhoods.<\/p>\n
\u201cI grew up here, and there\u2019s still so much I want to learn because it wasn\u2019t taught to me,\u201d they said. \u201cIt\u2019s been erased from our city. So anytime I can learn small details \u2014 nicknames for a neighborhood, everyone\u2019s favorite corner store, a local gang\u2019s old turf \u2014 that\u2019s gold to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
For years, Garcia funded the project themself. This year, they got a $5,000 grant from the city for an exhibit focused on East Austin\u2019s graffiti and mural art \u2014 particularly works from the early ’90s by artists who they said are largely unrecognized.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
A book of old postcards featuring photos of local businesses in East Austin. <\/p>\n
According to Garcia, official organizations acknowledge they have gaps when it comes to these neighborhoods.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s what I like focusing on because it’s just in the moment,\u201d Garcia said, \u201cYou learn about it by talking to others or collecting artifacts. You learn about it through, like, flyers or restaurant menus.\u201d<\/p>\n
What started as a personal impulse to collect has grown into an intentional ongoing practice of community memory work. Sometimes, it begins with a photo or artifact; other times, with a person and their story.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve tracked down people based on a name scrawled on the back of a flyer or a painted signature on a taqueria sign. One time, I found an artist\u2019s name on a piece \u2014 he\u2019d already passed away, but I managed to connect with his son,\u201d Garcia said. \u201cWhen I showed him his dad\u2019s work, he instantly remembered it. That moment was powerful.\u201d<\/p>\n
The work is occasionally more organic. Garcia has been meeting regularly with 90-year-old Johnny Degollado, an accordion player from Montopolis also known as \u201cEl Montopolis Kid<\/a>,\u201d for a series of interviews on the evolution of conjunto music and the changing neighborhood.<\/p>\n Degollado, like many in the community, is eager to pass down his knowledge and has become a bridge to others in Austin\u2019s Tejano and conjunto music scenes. That network has grown through social media, too. <\/p>\n